is one of two types of two-story gate presently used in Japan (the other one being the ''

rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the '' nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and S ...

'', see photo in the gallery below), and can be found at most Japanese Buddhist temples. This gate is distinguishable from its relative by the roof above the first floor which skirts the entire upper story, absent in a ''rōmon''. Accordingly, it has a series of brackets ('' tokyō'') supporting the roof's

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

both at the first and at the second story. In a ''rōmon'', the brackets support a balcony. The ''tokyō'' are usually three-stepped ( ''mitesaki'') with tail rafters at the third step.For details, see the article Tokyō. A ''nijūmon'' is normally covered by a

hip-and-gable roof A Dutch gable roof or gablet roof (in Britain) is a roof with a small gable at the top of a hip roof. The term Dutch gable is also used to mean a gable with parapets. Some sources refer to this as a gable-on-hip roof. A Dutch gable roof combine ...

. Unlike a ''rōmon'', whose second story is inaccessible and unusable, a ''nijūmon'' has stairs leading to the second story. Some gates have at their ends two , 2 x 1

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

structures housing the stairs. The second story of a ''nijūmon'' usually contains statues of Shakyamuni or of goddess

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

, and of the 16 ''Rakan'', and hosts periodical religious ceremonies.Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten Large ''nijūmon are 5 bays wide, 2 bays deep and have three entrances, however Tokyo's

Zōjō-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan. It is the main temple of the Jōdo-shū ("Pure Land") Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region,. Its mountain name is San'en-zan (三縁山). Zōjō-ji is notable for its relationship wit ...

, the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful '' daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this cl ...

's funerary temple, has a gate which is 5 x 3 bays. Smaller ones are 3 x 2 bays and have one, two or even three entrances. Of all temple gate types, the ''nujūmon'' has the highest status, and is accordingly used for important gates like the ''chūmon'' (middle gate) of ancient temples as Hōryū-ji. The ''

sanmon A , also called , is the most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen '' shichidō garan'', the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple.JAANUS It can be often found in temples of other de ...

'', the gate of a

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

temple of highest prestige, is usually a ''nijūmon''.The term ''sanmon'' originated at Zen temples, but is often used by other sects too, particularly by the Jōdo sect. Some ''nijūmon'' are called because they are situated between the entrance and the temple.

Gallery

File:Koumyouji5501.JPG, The ''

Niōmon is the Japanese name of a Buddhist temple gate guarded by two wooden warriors called Niō (lit. Two Kings). The gate is called Heng Ha Er Jiang (哼哈二将) in China and Geumgangmun (금강문) in Korea. The two statues are inside the two pos ...

'' of Kōmyō-ji in Ayabe ( National Treasure) File:Kenchoji Gate.jpg, A ''nijūmon''. Note the double roof. File:Hannyaji Romon01.jpg, A ''rōmon''. Note the balcony and the single roof. File:Tofukiji-Sanro.jpg, One of the ''sanrō'' of Tōfuku-ji's ''sanmon'' (detail of the photo above)

The second story of a ''nijūmon''

Some interior images of the second story of a ''nijūmon'', in this case

Kōmyō-ji Kōmyō-ji ( ja, 光明寺, link=no，) is the name of numerous Buddhist temples in Japan and other East Asian communities, and may refer to: *Kōmyō-ji (Ayabe), a temple in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture; see List of National Treasures of Japan (temples ...

's ''sanmon'' in

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

Kanagawa prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

. File:Komyoji Second Gate-Kamakura.jpg, The ''sanmon'' File:Komyoji,-Kamakura gate stairs.jpg, The stairs to the second story File:Kamakura Komyoji Inside The Sanmon 3.jpg, The second story File:Kamakura Komyoji Sanmon 2.jpg, Second story, exit to the balcony File:Kamakura Komyoji Inside-the-sanmon-1.jpg, Sacred images in the main room

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten (岩波日本史辞典), CD-Rom Version. Iwanami Shoten, 1999-2001 (in Japanese) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nijumon * Japanese architectural features Japanese Buddhist architecture

Gallery

The second story of a ''nijūmon''

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography